Elevator



Patented May 21, 1929.

.UNITED STA CLARENCE CULLEN CRISPEN, 0F HARBISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

f ELEVATOR.

This invention relates to improvements in elevators particularly adaptedfor use in passenger service in private houses and other places wherethe space available for the installation of an elevator is limited.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel, simple and eflicientelevator wherein' a single, vertically-extending rail is combined with acar which is constructed to move vertically adjacent to one side of therail and which is provided withV means co-operating with rail forsupporting and guiding the car wholly at one side of the car, wherebythe horizontal dimensions of the supporting and' guiding means for thecar and of the car it-A self and of its path of vertical movement may bereduced to a minimum.

With the foregoing and related objects in view the invention consistsyof .the elements and the combinations of them hereinafter de-I scribedand claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention,-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of a house orbuilding having an open stairway and showing my improved elevatorinstalled therein.`

. tion of the supporting and guiding rail and the means co-operatingtherewith for supporting and guiding the car on line 4--4 of Fig. 5.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4 andincluding a portion of the car. n

Figure 6 is a horizontal section through the rail showing a top view ofthe parts shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, 6 designates the car and 7 thevertically-extending supporting and Dguiding rail for the car. y

The car 6 may be of any suitable size and construction for its intendedpurpose. As herein illustrated, the car comprises a floor or latform 8,a back wall 9, side walls 10 and a ront wall 11 enclosing the spaceabove the platform 8 for the accommodation of passengers. The f rontwall 11 vis made in the form of a hinged door to afford access to thecar.

The rai1`7 may be of any suitable shape in applicati@ mea april 25,

1928. Serial No. 272,624.

cross'section.y It is preferably made lin 'channel form comprising aback wall 12, side walls -13 extending forwardly from the back wall 12and flanges 14 extendingv toward each other from the forward portlons ofthe side walls 13 and forming laterally spaced front walls. The rail 7maybe placed in vertical position in any desired location within a houseor building and it may be secured to suitable parts of the house orbuilding b screws 14 which extend through the back wa l 12 of therail,as shown in- Fig. 3.

The car 6 is located adjacent to the forward side of the'rail 7 in closeproximity thereto and the lower central portion of its back wall 9 isprovided with a vertically elongated block 15 which extends into thechannel rail 7 between the flanges or forward walls -14 thereof. Theblock 15, near the respective ends thereof, is provided with parallel,transversely extending members or eX- tensions 16 which are connected bya plate 17. The block 15, its extensions or member 16 and the plate 17are secured together and to the back wall 9 of the car 46 by suitabley'Y screws or bolts 18. The block 15 carries a set of upper and lowerrollers 19 which are journaled on the respective ends of the blockextensions or members 16. The rollers 19 are locatedv between the backwall 12 and the flanges or front walls 14 of the rail 7 and they are ladapted to engage the vopposinginner guiding surfacesv of the walls 12and 14 to support and guide the car during the vertical move-i mentthereof.

The block 15 also carries a second set of upper and lower rollers 20which are journaled on stud screws 21 projecting ixedly from the plate17. These rollers 20 are placed between the late 17 and the body of theblock 15 and t ey are spaced and lorollers 19 as clearly shown in thedrawings, and they are adapted to engage the opposing inner Vguidingsurfaces of the side walls 13 of the rail 7.

cated with respect to each other and to the The opposing inner guiding,surfaces ofl th side Walls 13 of the-rail 7 .are set at right angles tothe opposing inner guiding surfaces of the back and front walls 12 and.14 ofthe rail. The rollers 19 are mounted to turn on horizontal axeswhich are parallel .to their opposing walls 12 and 14, and the rollers20 are mounted to turn on horizontal 'xes which are set at right anglesto the axes of the rollers 19 and parallel to their opposing walls 13,so that the respective rollers may have proper rolling engagement withtheir respective opposing guiding surfaces.

One end portion of a cable 22 extendsA turn on the bar 7. The cable 22passes from the pulley 24 down through a protecting casing or channelbar 25 secured at one side of the bar 7, and the -cable extends belowthe bottom of the bars 7 and 25 and is connected to the winding drum 26of a cablewinding machine l 27. The drum 26 is carried by a shaft 28which turns in bearings on a frame 29 and the shaft 28 is provided `witha -worm wheel 30 which engages a worm 31 on a shaft 32 which is actuatedby an electric motor 33 to wind the cable 22 upon and unwind it from thedrum 26. Thus it will be understood that when the motor 33 is actuatedto wind the cable 22 upon the drum 26 the car 6 will be raised, and thatwhen the 4motor 33 is actuated to unwind the cable from' the drum thecar will be lowered.

In Figs.` 1 and 2 of the drawings I have shown the rail 7 secured at oneside of an open winding stairway of a house or building in such positionthat the l"car 6 may be'raised and lowered between a lower floor 34 andan upper floor 35 of a yhouse and through an opening 36 in the upperfloor 35 adjacent to the stairway, so thatpassengers may be carried bythe car 6 in either direction from one oor to the other.

When the car 6 is down it rests` upon the lower floor 34, and when thecar 6 is raised its platform 8 is brought to a position flush with the uper floor 35. When the car is 1n the raise position its door 11 isdirectly back of a door 37 which is provided in a railing 38 on theiioor 35 which guards the o ening 36 so that both doors 11 and 36 may eopened to permit passengers to enter or leave the car.

The cable winding machine 27 ma be conveniently located in the basementof the building or on the iioor below the floor 34.

The location of the car 6 at one side of the rail 7 with the platform ofthe car extending at right angles to the rail causes the car and itsload to be supported not only by the cable 22 but also by the upperrollers 19 bearing against the front walls 14 of the rail 7 and thelower rollers 19 bearing against the back wall 12 of the rail during theraising and lowering of the car, and While the cable 22 holds it abovethe floor 34. The engagement of the rollers 20 with the side-walls 13 ofthe rail 7 prevents the block 15 and car 6 from tilting laterally duringthe raising and lowering of the car.

Suitable well known conventional electric switches may be employed atthe two oors `34 and 35 and on the car itself for controlling the motorfor raising and lowering the car 6.

To avoid accidents resulting from the breaking of the cable 22 or theoccurrence of anA unexpected slackness therein, I provide a lockingmember or lever 40 which is pivoted, at 41, on the plate 17 and which isprovided with teeth 42 on one end thereof adapted to be raised intoengagement with one side wall 13 of the rail 7 and force the wheels 20on the opposite side of the block 15 against the other side wall 13 ofthe rail and thereby lock the block 15 and car6 against downwardmovement. The inner arm 43 of the lever 40 is connected to one end of aspring 44 which is attached to the lower block member 16 by a U-bolt 45and which tends to move the teeth 42 into engagement with the opposingside wall 13 of the rail 7. The teeth 42 are held out of contact withthe rail 7 against the action of the spring 44 by an arm 46 whichextends downwardly from the plate 23 and has its lower end connected tothe lever arm 43. So long as the cable 22 is under tension it will holdthe plate 23 up against the bottom of the top block member 16 and thushold the teeth 42 out of contact with the rail 7. Should the cable 22 beaccidentally slackened for any reason while the car 6 is above the floor34, the slackening of the cable will permit the downward movement of theplate- 23 and arm 46 and thereby immedlately permit the spring 44 tomove the teeth 42 into engagement with the opposing wall 13 of the rail7 and thus lock the car 6 against downward movement.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an elevator, a vertically-extending ra1l having two parallelopposing verticallyextending guiding surfaces facing oppositedirections, a car having a platform extending from .one side of the railat right angles thereto, means connected to the car and havmg twobearing parts located one above the other and constructed to co-operatewith said guiding surfaces to guide the car vertically, the upperbearing part facing the path of travel of the car, and engaging one ofsaid guiding surfaces, and the lower bearing part `facing the oppositedirection and engaging the other of said guiding surfaces, and meansoperable to raise and lower the car.

2. In an elevator, a vertically-extending rail having two pairs ofparallel opposing vertically-extending guiding surfaces whichA are setat right angles to each other, a car having a latform extending at rightangles to the rai means connected to the car and having twocsets of'rollers constructed to cooperate with said guiding surfaces to guidethe car vertically along the rail, one set of rollers being constructedto engage one of said pairs of guiding surfaces and to turn onhorizontal axes which extend parallel thereto and the other set ofrollers being constructed to engage the other of said pairs of guidingsurfaces and to turn on horizontalaxes which extend parallel to theother of said airs of guiding surfaces, and means opera le to raise andlower the car.

3. In an elevator, a, vertically-extending channel rail, a car having aplatform extending at rightA angles to the rail, a block secured to thecar and extending into the channel of the rail, a set of rollers carriedby the block and arranged to engage opposing surfaces of the rail, asecond set of rollers carried by the block vand arranged to engageposing surfaces of the rail, a second set of upper and lower rollerswhereof some are located above and some arelocated below rollers of thefirst named set, said second set of rollers being carried by the blockand arranged to en age other opposing surfaces of the rail and avingtheir axes set at right angles tothe axes of the rollers of the firstnamed set, and means operable to raise and lower the car.

5. In an elevator, a vertically-extending lchannel rail comprising a'back wall, yside walls extending forwardly from the sides of the backwall and flanges extending toward each other from the forward portionsof the sidev walls and forming laterally spaced front extending at rightangles to the rail,'a block secured to the car and extending into thechannel rail between the front walls thereof, upper roller means carrierby the block between the front and back walls of the rail andconstructed to thereof, lower roller means carried by the block belowthe upper roller means and constructed to engage the back wall of therail, and means operable to raise and lower the car.

6. In an elevator, a vertically-extending walls, a car having a platformengage the front walls channel rail comprising a back wall, side wallsextending forwardly' from the sides of the back wall 4 sidewalls andforming lateral y spaced front walls, a car having a platform extendingat right angles to the rail, a block secured to the car and extendinginto the channel rail between the front walls thereof, upper rollermeans carried by the block between the front and back walls of the railand constructed to engage the front walls thereof, lower roller meanscarried by the block below the upper roller means and-constructed toengage the back wall of the rail, additional upper and lower rollermeans carried by the block and constructed to engage the side walls ofthe rail, and means operable to raise and lower the car.

In testimony whereof I aix m signature.

CLARENCE C. C ISPEN.

and flanges extending toward each other from theforward ortions of the

